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Outer Banks NC "city meet" - April 30, 2022

Started by A.J. Bertin, August 01, 2019, 09:27:47 PM

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A.J. Bertin

I'm excited to announce that my "city meet" for 2020 will be held in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I'm calling this a "city meet" but it's going to be quite different than my Providence meet in 2019 because the Outer Banks isn't a "city" and the focus of this meet will be purely the drive along NC 12 and U.S. 158.

I'm tentatively planning on having us gather for lunch in Nags Head, and then we'll head northwest for dinner in Elizabeth City. Folks will be encouraged to join for lunch, dinner, or both.

My plan, if anyone else is thinking of doing something similar, is to stay in Morehead City NC on Thursday night and drive from there to Nags Head on Friday. That will allow me to drive most of NC 12 and take the two NC 12 ferries (Cedar Island to Ocracoke, and Ocracoke to Hatteras).

The poll for helping me select a date will remain open until October 1, 2019. The exact date will be determined sometime around that time, and I will create a Facebook event.

I'm looking forward to hosting my second city meet! I've never been to the Outer Banks and am excited about exploring this area with others. :)
-A.J. from Michigan


Alps

I would encourage making this a multi-option poll.

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: Alps on August 01, 2019, 10:14:59 PM
I would encourage making this a multi-option poll.

It doesn't look like I have the option to change that when I click the Edit Poll option.
-A.J. from Michigan

kevinb1994

#3
June 20th is on Father's Day weekend, so that's pretty much a no-go for most of us. June 27th is cutting a little close to July 4th. Same with May 30th; cutting a little too close to Memorial Day. Late April works because it won't be too hot outside up there. Just sayin'.

BTW, there's a NC county to the west of the OBX that has the name of Bertie (Windsor is the county seat) ;)

EDIT: I'll be adding this to my calendar for 2022, and will be looking at this or the recently-announced Philly meet.

Alps

Quote from: kevinb1994 on August 01, 2019, 10:50:00 PM
June 20th is on Father's Day weekend so that's pretty much a no-go for most of us. June 27th is cutting a little close to July 4th. Same with May 30th cutting a little close to Memorial Day. Late April works because it won't be too hot outside up there. Just sayin'.

BTW, there's a NC county to the west of the OBX that has the name of Bertie (Windsor is the county seat) ;)
Oh dear god, I agree with Brownlie. Father's Day is going to be tough, not to mention anything after Memorial Day is going to be very crowded. April is off peak and away from any holiday.

Alps

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on August 01, 2019, 10:26:22 PM
Quote from: Alps on August 01, 2019, 10:14:59 PM
I would encourage making this a multi-option poll.

It doesn't look like I have the option to change that when I click the Edit Poll option.
Done. People can change votes to add more if desired.

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: Alps on August 02, 2019, 12:13:57 AM
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on August 01, 2019, 10:26:22 PM
Quote from: Alps on August 01, 2019, 10:14:59 PM
I would encourage making this a multi-option poll.

It doesn't look like I have the option to change that when I click the Edit Poll option.
Done. People can change votes to add more if desired.

Thanks for editing that for me. I guess I'm figuring out that, in general, date polls should allow voters to select multiple options. It's all right... I'm still learning. This is only my second meet. :)
-A.J. from Michigan

PHLBOS

Quote from: kevinb1994 on August 01, 2019, 10:50:00 PM
Same with May 30th cutting a little close to Memorial Day.
Memorial day for 2020 is on May 25.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

jpi

I voted "way too early" at this point, if this ends up being on 4/25 I may not be able to make it because of a spring Hershey toy show that happens around the last weekend in April
Jason Ilyes
JPI
Lebanon, TN
Home Of The Barrel

Hot Rod Hootenanny

#9
The only date, of the 4 shown, that would work for me would be June 27.
April 25 is the weekend of my mom's birthday, May 30 I could possibly get away from Delaware, June 20 is our annual blues music fest in C-bus.

What about April 18, or May 16?

Thanks to Oscar correcting me, I change my vote to May 30.
Please, don't sue Alex & Andy over what I wrote above

oscar

Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on August 02, 2019, 10:42:20 PM
What about April 18, or May 16/23?

Won't comment on specific dates (other than 4/18 is a bit close to Tax Day). But it would be nice to have more options before May 23  (start of the Memorial Day weekend). I don't know whether that is the start of tourist high season for the Outer Banks, which would be nice to avoid if only for traffic congestion.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

A.J. Bertin

I will let the poll run its course over the next two months and see how things shake out, but I'm already sensing that April 25 will be the date that many folks will prefer. I wasn't thinking about the busy summer tourist season in the Outer Banks. (This is why I put this up for a poll because I trust others' opinions about these kinds of things... especially folks who are at least somewhat familiar with the area.)

Anyway, I was carefully selective in the dates I chose for my poll. I didn't want to go any earlier than late April because of the possibility of winter weather in the Midwest that could cause some problems with me driving down there (yes... we've had significant winter weather in Michigan as late as mid April). I purposely didn't choose May 2 or May 16 because of the close proximity to Gene's San Antonio meet on May 9 in case there's anyone (myself included) who's thinking about attending both and would appreciate at least a two-week buffer between the meets. I also avoided May 23 because, for personal reasons, I did not want to host a meet on the holiday weekend. Not to mention that the holiday weekend could be very busy on the Outer Banks.

I know there will be conflicts and that not all these dates will work for everyone. But I find the idea of creating a poll beneficial because it allows people to have a say, and I will absolutely try my hardest to go with the majority rule.
-A.J. from Michigan

brianreynolds

I chose to vote for the April date for many of the reasons already stated.

Beltway

I could do April 25th at least tentatively.

What about making the Oregon Inlet bridge the main road focus?
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

SSOWorld

Quote from: Beltway on August 03, 2019, 08:30:08 PM
I could do April 25th at least tentatively.

What about making the Oregon Inlet bridge the main road focus?
Yours to choose.  the "City Meet" concept sets meal, then you make your own tour.
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: Beltway on August 03, 2019, 08:30:08 PM
What about making the Oregon Inlet bridge the main road focus?

The "city meet" concept allows attendees to choose their own adventures and see whatever they are interested in seeing along the way. At my first city meet that I held in Providence RI earlier this year, during the lunch I had everyone go around the table and state what they specifically were planning on seeing and doing in the afternoon between lunch and dinner. I'll probably do this again at the Outer Banks meet. I imagine that at least some of the attendees might decide to check out the Oregon Inlet bridge. It's certainly a good idea.
-A.J. from Michigan

Beltway

Quote from: SSOWorld on August 03, 2019, 09:18:37 PM
Quote from: Beltway on August 03, 2019, 08:30:08 PM
I could do April 25th at least tentatively.
What about making the Oregon Inlet bridge the main road focus?
Yours to choose.  the "City Meet" concept sets meal, then you make your own tour.
The meets I have been to in the past had one main tour, but like you say there can be multiple tours if that is what people want.

From an engineering and construction standpoint, that is a nationally known project, and for me worth the trip by itself. 

Driving down to Cape Hatteras always worth the trip.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: Beltway on August 03, 2019, 10:16:17 PM
Quote from: SSOWorld on August 03, 2019, 09:18:37 PM
Quote from: Beltway on August 03, 2019, 08:30:08 PM
I could do April 25th at least tentatively.
What about making the Oregon Inlet bridge the main road focus?
Yours to choose.  the "City Meet" concept sets meal, then you make your own tour.
The meets I have been to in the past had one main tour, but like you say there can be multiple tours if that is what people want.

Yep... this is a different concept for a meet that I came up with:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=23159.0
-A.J. from Michigan

Beltway

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on August 03, 2019, 10:28:13 PM
Quote from: Beltway on August 03, 2019, 10:16:17 PM
Quote from: SSOWorld on August 03, 2019, 09:18:37 PM
Quote from: Beltway on August 03, 2019, 08:30:08 PM
I could do April 25th at least tentatively.
What about making the Oregon Inlet bridge the main road focus?
Yours to choose.  the "City Meet" concept sets meal, then you make your own tour.
The meets I have been to in the past had one main tour, but like you say there can be multiple tours if that is what people want.
Yep... this is a different concept for a meet that I came up with:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=23159.0

The OBX is the main attraction there.  Not much else in the area.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

Alps

Quote from: Beltway on August 03, 2019, 11:15:57 PM
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on August 03, 2019, 10:28:13 PM
Quote from: Beltway on August 03, 2019, 10:16:17 PM
Quote from: SSOWorld on August 03, 2019, 09:18:37 PM
Quote from: Beltway on August 03, 2019, 08:30:08 PM
I could do April 25th at least tentatively.
What about making the Oregon Inlet bridge the main road focus?
Yours to choose.  the "City Meet" concept sets meal, then you make your own tour.
The meets I have been to in the past had one main tour, but like you say there can be multiple tours if that is what people want.
Yep... this is a different concept for a meet that I came up with:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=23159.0

The OBX is the main attraction there.  Not much else in the area.
That is up for people to judge...

hbelkins

Oregon Inlet bridge, several of the other bridges, the ferries, the Wright Brothers memorial, a spot where three US highways terminate (or at least they used to since the truncation of US 264's useless concurrency out to US 158) ... plenty of transportation-related subjects to see in the area. Maybe Beltway and Srjus could jump in a car together and drive the propose routing of I-87.  :-D :-D

If I go, I'll probably use the occasion to clinch US 158 on either the way there or back, and maybe even finish off US 258.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Beltway

Quote from: hbelkins on August 04, 2019, 07:06:52 PM
Oregon Inlet bridge, several of the other bridges, the ferries, the Wright Brothers memorial, a spot where three US highways terminate (or at least they used to since the truncation of US 264's useless concurrency out to US 158) ... plenty of transportation-related subjects to see in the area.

The Outer Banks encompasses all those.  The barrier islands and connections and sights.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

vdeane

Someone could also drive to the surrounding areas.  If I go, one possibility for what I might do would be to clinch the Norfolk, VA interstates (which might even be where I stay, given that it's a long haul to the CBBT from Albany, and another hour south to Elizabeth City).  Or I might check out some bridges and the Bodie Island Lighthouse.  During the Providence meet, someone even went to Martha's Vineyard to do county clinching.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

A.J. Bertin

A few days ago I made a comment somewhere indicating that I would allow this poll to run its course through October 1. But in light of a couple of additional meets that were announced shortly after I announced this one that are also being considered for the April-May-June time frame, I'm seriously wondering if I should cut this poll short and just pick my date based on the results of my poll so far. (I of course didn't have any way of knowing how popular this time frame would be, and I don't want to create issues for other folks who are wanting to plan meets but are having difficulty because my date hasn't been set yet.)

In general, I still like putting the date up for a poll to give folks a say in when they feel the meet should happen, but I'm discovering that perhaps two months is too long if others are trying to plan meets around the same time.

There are obviously folks in our community who don't log onto this forum nearly as often as others, so I'm trying to respect that... but on the other hand, I'm not so sure. Would anyone mind if I changed my mind and decided not to keep the poll open as long as I originally said I would?
-A.J. from Michigan

1995hoo

The Cedar Island Ferry was mentioned earlier. In making your plans, take note that while it's only a 20-mile ferry crossing, it takes 2.5 hours (and it's boring). It's not really a day trip activity (whereas the Hatteras-to-Ocracoke ferry definitely can be a day trip).
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.



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